different between scrabble vs fight

English

Etymology

From Middle Dutch schrabbelen, frequentative of schrabben (“to scrape”), equivalent to scrab +? -le. More at scrape.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?sk?æb?l/
• Rhymes: -æb?l

Verb

scrabble (third-person singular simple present scrabbles, present participle scrabbling, simple past and past participle scrabbled)

1. (intransitive) To scrape or scratch powerfully with hands or claws.
   • 1898, J. Meade Falkner, Moonfleet Chapter 4

     […] there came no answer, except the echo of my own voice sounding hollow and far off down in the vault. So in despair I turned back to the earth wall below the slab, and scrabbled at it with my fingers, till my nails were broken and the blood ran out; having all the while a sure knowledge, like a cord twisted round my head, that no effort of mine could ever dislodge the great stone.
2. (transitive) To gather hastily.
3. (intransitive) To move with difficulty by making rapid movements back and forth with the hands or paws.

   She was on her hands and knees scrabbling in the mud, looking for her missing wedding ring.

4. (intransitive) To scribble.

   • David […] scrabbled on the doors of the gate.

5. (transitive) To mark with irregular lines or letters; to scribble on.

   to scrabble paper

Derived terms

• hardscrabble
• scrabbler

Translations

See also

• scrab
• scramble
• scrap
• scrape
• scrapple (a sausage-like food)

Noun

scrabble (plural scrabbles)

1. A scramble.

   a scrabble for dear life

Anagrams

• cabblers, clabbers, crabbles

French

Noun

scrabble m (plural scrabbles)

1. (Scrabble) a play where all seven tiles are used; a bingo

Verb

scrabble

1. first-person singular present indicative of scrabbler
2. third-person singular present indicative of scrabbler
3. first-person singular present subjunctive of scrabbler
4. third-person singular present subjunctive of scrabbler
5. second-person singular imperative of scrabbler

Further reading

• “scrabble” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English fighten, from Old English feohtan (“to fight, combat, strive”), from Proto-West Germanic *fehtan, from Proto-Germanic *fehtan? (“to comb, tease, shear, struggle with”), from Proto-Indo-European *pe?- (“to comb, shear”).

Cognate with Scots fecht (“to fight”), West Frisian fjochtsje, fjuchte (“to fight”), Dutch vechten (“to fight”), Low German fechten (“to fight”), German fechten (“to fight, fence”), Swedish fäkta (“to fence, to fight (using blade weapons), to wave vigorously (and carelessly) with one's arms”), Latin pect? (“comb, thrash”, verb), Albanian pjek (“to hit, strive, fight”), Ancient Greek ???? (pék?, “comb or card wool”, verb). Related also to Old English feht (“wool, shaggy pelt, fleece”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: f?t, IPA^(key): /fa?t/
• (US, Canada) IPA^(key): [f??t]
• Rhymes: -a?t

Verb

fight (third-person singular simple present fights, present participle fighting, simple past fought, past participle fought or (archaic) foughten)

1. (intransitive) To contend in physical conflict, either singly or in war, battle etc.

2. (reciprocal) To contend in physical conflict with each other, either singly or in war, battle etc.

3. (intransitive) To strive for something; to campaign or contend for success.
4. (transitive) To conduct or engage in (battle, warfare etc.).
   • 1856, Thomas Macaulay, Life of Samuel Johnson

     was left to fight his way through the world.

   • I have fought a good fight.

5. (transitive) To engage in combat with; to oppose physically, to contest with.

6. (transitive) To try to overpower; to fiercely counteract.
7. (transitive, archaic) To cause to fight; to manage or manoeuvre in a fight.

8. (intransitive) Of colours or other design elements: to clash; to fail to harmonize.

Conjugation

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:fight

Derived terms

Descendants

• Sranan Tongo: feti

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English fight, feyght, fi?t, fecht, from Old English feoht, ?efeoht, from Proto-West Germanic *fehtan, from Proto-Germanic *feht?, *gafeht? (“fight, struggle”), from Proto-Germanic *fehtan? (“to struggle with”). Cognate with Dutch gevecht, German Gefecht.

Noun

fight (countable and uncountable, plural fights)

1. An occasion of fighting.

2. (archaic) A battle between opposing armies.
3. A physical confrontation or combat between two or more people or groups.

4. (sports) A boxing or martial arts match.

5. A conflict, possibly nonphysical, with opposing ideas or forces; strife.

6. (uncountable) The will or ability to fight.

7. (obsolete) A screen for the combatants in ships.
   • 1673, John Dryden, Amboyna

     Up with your fights, and your nettings prepare.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:fight

Derived terms

Descendants

• Sranan Tongo: feti
  • ? Dutch: fittie
• ? Japanese: ???? (faito)

Translations